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Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Unlikeable Protagonists

Greetings Fellow Book Dragons!

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme within the book community that was created by Lainey of GingerReadsLainey, but is now hosted by Sam of Thoughts on Tomes.  If you’re interested in participating, find out more on the Goodreads group.


This week’s topic is Favorite Unlikeable Protagonists!  While it’s certainly easier to get behind protagonists that are likeable, many of the best characters are gray, multi-dimensional, annoying, or unlikeable.  They aren’t truly good or evil, make many mistakes, can’t make decisions, etc.  But for whatever reason, they leave a lasting impression, so let’s chat about those unlikeable characters that we can’t help but root for!

In no particular order, here are my selections.

Louise from Behind Her Eyes

I can’t say much about this book because I don’t want to spoil anything, but while most of the time I questioned the majority of Louise’s actions all the way through the story and wished she would slow down to think out her situation, I couldn’t help but hope that things would eventually work out for her. 

Jaime from Game of Thrones

Very early on in the story, this guy is very hard to like.  He’s having an affair with his twin sister and attempts to murder a child to cover up that relationship.  But over the course of this epic story, one of the most narcissistic and unlikeable characters to ever grace the page, redeems himself to become someone you hope ultimately makes it out alive within the horrible world that is Westeros.   

Rachel from The Girl on the Train


She’s a drunk.  She’s unreliable.  She’s miserable and would like to see everyone else be just as miserable.  But, much like with Louise, I still wanted things to work out for her.  

Archie from the Heartsick series

This guy has all kinds of problems, including a drug addiction as well as romantic feelings for the serial killer that he’s trying to take down.  It’s a very toxic relationship that gives you as the reader a head trip as well!

Libby from Dark Places

The only reason she gets involved in trying to figure out who is responsible for her family’s murder is because she’s short on cash.  While highly liked and cared for as the only survivor of a triple homicide, Libby has not aged well.  She discovers that for most people, they don’t have a problem helping a child, but a woman is a different story even if she is still be suffering from that night.  She wants to milk her situation for everything she can get out of it.  And while she starts off extremely selfish, I really wanted her to get it all figured out and get the help she so desperately needed.
So, who are some of your favorite unlikeable protagonists?  Let me know in the comments!
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